TIGON Diesel Hybrid

[GreenHornet]

More updates,

Man the updates just keep rolling well anyways last night while again browsing good old craigslist I hit the jackpot. I found a world class T5 transmission for $200.00. It just happened to be one of the models I was looking for. Long story short I drove long and far to pick it up last night. The funny thing is the owner had no idea that it was a world class T5 and that it was one of the best models they made. Whoever said knowledge is power? All I know is I hope the good luck keeps coming my way as I have managed to find 2 really great deals on craigslist over the past few days. I have spent $350.00 for two of the most expensive components needed not bad! Now all I need to source is the 8.8" rear differential and then I have the 3 main drive line components sourced and purchased.

Once I get my camera fixed I will get some good pics up on here!

GH..

[mikeyjd]

Enjoying the ideas/progress. Looking forward to getting past all this early legwork to see a working prototype.

[COcyclist]

Subscribed. I just caught up on the thread and you have some interesting ideas. I personally like the idea of a great handling TDI based model. There is another kit car out there with a small diesel engine. Kinetic Vehicles

If you haven't followed Jack McCornac's blogs they are on Mother Earth news but their site is hard to navigate. MAX Update No. 79: Incredibly Good Mileage (127 MPG)

[GreenHornet]

Originally Posted by COcyclist

Subscribed. I just caught up on the thread and you have some interesting ideas. I personally like the idea of a great handling TDI based model. There is another kit car out there with a small diesel engine. Kinetic Vehicles

If you haven't followed Jack McCornac's blogs they are on Mother Earth news but their site is hard to navigate. MAX Update No. 79: Incredibly Good Mileage (127 MPG)

Hey Cocyclist,

Yeah Jacks car Max is awesome :-) I have spoke with him on several occasions as a matter of fact. We are both Oregonians so we do not live far apart. Jack is turning Max into a fully functioning kit car as I believe he has the molds finished up for the body so that is really cool for folks who would like that style of ride. He is also offering to built them turnkey for folks similar to what I will offer as well so that is a bonus also for those that do not have the means or desire to tackle such a project.

I am glad you stopped by and like the TDI based model as this will be the first prototype I complete. Lots of progress is being made each week despite working full time and doing the family thing. I am pretty driven to get it done there are still some things to work out such as the rear end but that is only because I am trying to find the most cost effective route to go. If I wanted to drop some serious money than it would not be a problem things would move faster.

I want this to be well built and engineered and able to more than handle a built TDI but not break the bank my bank that is at the same time :-) The 2 and 3 cylinder models would not necessarily need upgraded differentials they could go stock GT6 and be just fine but the Torque potential of the TDI would destroy it in like the first day I believe. So this is creating some added work and complexity to the project but I believe it will be time and money well spent. I also think people will really like having the ability to choose between many different gear ratios and have more of a personalized ride for there given situation.

I will also most likely offer custom built differentials and transmissions specifically tailor made to your specs. I will be able to do it at a price better than most all gear shops because I will be specializing in the T5 and 8.8" rear end only for TIGON models.

Well COcyclist it was good talking with you and hopefully we can talk again if you have any questions feel free to shoot them my way and I would be more than happy to try and answer them the best I can.

Take care,

GH..

[GreenHornet]

Originally Posted by mikeyjd

Enjoying the ideas/progress. Looking forward to getting past all this early legwork to see a working prototype.

Hey Mikeyjd,

Ya I am looking forward to getting past all the legwork as well. It is crazy sometimes how projects have a way to turn in different directions. I am glad you are enjoying the ideas. Most of the time my family thinks I am nuts :-)

So I really appreciate the support my friend!

GH..

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Well, it seems that the project is taking a more complex route time and time again...

[Frank Lee]

I can't tell which end is up with this thing- almost as bad as...

[GreenHornet]

hahaha nice one Frank honestly sometimes that is how my head feels LOL :-) I guess I bring it upon myself with all my nutty ideas. I have always been that way but some of the time those nutty ideas actually work. This time I am liking my chances

CR this project has taken major turns no doubt but one thing I can say is I am committed to fully seeing it to completion. I have come to far and spend to much time to turn back now.

The show continues :-)

GH..

[GreenHornet]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Well, it seems that the project is taking a more complex route time and time again...

The only thing that has changed is the fact I will first utilize a VW TDI as the engine and this will require an rear end upgrade which really should be done anyways as the Triumph rear ends were not reliable in any way shape or form with anything over stock.

I feel as though I need to offer more options to people and with the popularity of the TDI and its abundance here in the states it made a lot of sense. Another reason is I always wanted to build a GT4 as this was what the GT6 was supposed to be long before its Spitfire 4 cylinder engine was swapped for the straight 6 out of the Triumph Vitesse. So utilizing the 1.9 Liter TDI gives me the ability to still test out my diesel electric system and vehicle platform as well as build something that I have always wanted the GT4

So am I adding a little bit of complexity yeah I am but I think the results will be worth the extra time and effort. I like to have options and I know I am not alone on that point so I think others will appreciate the fact I am taking that into consideration from the start.

I never for once imagined that this would be easy and the best part about it is this forum gives everyone that chance to see the thoughts, ideas, mistakes, changes, and everything else that goes into designing and building not only a high performance vehicle but one that will also be able to do over 100mpg!

So far to my knowledge the only cars I know of that falls into this elite category verified is the Opel Eco Speedster and the EVX GT. This is what I am aiming for with the GT4 that blend between performance and efficiency.

GH

[Smurf]

Sounds to me like you're better off getting the individual parts you want, and building the rest scratch around those components. All this mixmatching and re-creating the wheel seems to be taking up much of your time.

Have you tried Google SketchUp? You don't need exact replicas, just some basic dimensions of things, and you can "see" how things would fit. Getting some sort of ideas in picture form would help us follow along.